Episode 16: Ryan Divish (Seattle Times)

00:00:00 Speaker 1: Welcome to episode number sixteen of the Marine Layer Podcast with TJ. Matthewson and Lyle Goldstein. On today's pod, it's all Ryan Divish. We talked sat down with the Mariners beat writer for the Seattle Times for a little under an hour. We had plenty to talk about. We talked a little bit about Ryan's career growing into a beat writing role, a couple things outside of baseball, and then all the major storylines that Ryan Devish is looking at for this twenty twenty three spring training. Again, nearly an hour long interview, so that's our entire show. Of course, we always close out the show with Speak Your Mind. That will be after the interview with Ryandvish. Let's get it rolling, Andy, welcome you into this episode of the Marine Layer Podcast here on Monday, February twentieth. Lyle, it is good to have a full week of spring training video that we can overanalyze for an entire week. It's fabulous sitting there just Divish. We talked to him a little bit about it, just sitting behind home plate, his phone through the chain link Finch, just watching all sorts of things that have possibly gone on. It has been very refreshing. 00:01:18 Speaker 2: I'm so happy to have it back. 00:01:19 Speaker 3: Is there a storyline from these Twitter videos that you've loved the most so far? 00:01:25 Speaker 1: Well, I like Julio's today. I mean he hit an absolute nuke off of Isaiah Campbell. Campbell gets ahead of him with a breaking ball out in front of Julio just kind of, you know, shrugs at the ball. I think he watched two more pitches and then he hit an absolute piss missile over the last center field fence. I can't wait to watch that man play this season. But another favorite that you brought to my attention, Lyle, is I mean it's not baseball season without you sending me a Jared Kellnick video and going a little bit over the top. I mean you sent me some batting practice and told me Jared was fixed fixed. 00:02:07 Speaker 3: No, I think you're putting words in my mouth that is not exactly what I said. 00:02:14 Speaker 4: I don't know. 00:02:14 Speaker 1: Should I pull up the receipts, You'll. 00:02:18 Speaker 2: Have to find exact You'll have to buy my exact wording. 00:02:21 Speaker 3: Look, he has been spraying a lot of balls the opposite way in batting practice, is all I'm gonna say. All I said is I think that's good news because if he goes back to that this year, that's a positive sign. 00:02:33 Speaker 1: One thing we can confidently say he changed his swing and stance again like that. It's very clear. 00:02:41 Speaker 2: He did. 00:02:42 Speaker 3: But he's also working with totally he's working with a totally new set of coaches now, so maybe they can fix him for good this time. 00:02:49 Speaker 1: What happened to Mark McGuire, Well, I don't know. 00:02:53 Speaker 3: What the story there is. Maybe it fell through, but yeah, yeah, Well Calmick didn't spend the winner in Wisconsin this year. He was in California and Arizona, like a couple of the Mariners beat writers were reporting, with some new coaches, hopefully this time third times a charm. 00:03:12 Speaker 1: I don't blame him for that. I mean, as two of us who have spent multiple winners in Arizona compare it to Wisconsin, Jared like, no, you're from their dog, but it's not a better place to spend a winner. Well, anyway, like back to a swing a little bit, I don't even I don't think we talked to Ryan Devish about Jared Kilnick's swing path at all, but I do think it's interesting. I mean, he's dropping his hands down a little bit lower. I know in the minor leagues he was always like this, like rocking his hands back and forth like this, but now it's more of like a calm and then when he's ready to swing, he's dropping his hands down probably about halfway between his shoulder and his hip, and you know, it's it's different. It's definitely different than what he's been doing, and I'm curious to see if it'll work. 00:03:52 Speaker 4: It is. 00:03:52 Speaker 1: It is a change, to say the least. It is absolutely a change. 00:03:58 Speaker 3: It is a change, and we know he mix it up a few times. Some people like to get on him about it. I say, you know what, until something really clicks for you, it's okay. He had a whole off season to stick with this routine and approach, so again, hopefully this is the time it works, because like you said, he does look different, and hopefully when we start to see some spring training games we see all this work payoff on the field too, because that would be, as we've talked about, just huge for the MS this year. 00:04:25 Speaker 1: For you. Before we get to Ryan Davis, you asked me this question, so I'll ask you. I mean, what video besides, let's let's you were not allowed to talk about Jared anymore. What video has stuck out to you the most from what you've seen from camp. 00:04:40 Speaker 3: I'm gonna take a couple, Okay, pre Lander barroa throwing like ninety eight ninety nine miles an hour stood out for sure because we've talked about it, or we've talked about and reporters have talked about a few of these mariners, arms and the miners that could contribute in the bullpen this year between Ryce Miller, maybe Taylor Dollard, maybe Emerson Hancock. Barrow is in that, and keep in mind, this is a guy they traded Donnie Walton for. This is a high upside reliever who's touch in the high nineties and looks like he's got a chance to at some point this year get up to the big leagues if it continues to click, because he had a good year last year, So that stood out to me for sure. 00:05:17 Speaker 2: Also, if we're going to throw. 00:05:18 Speaker 3: In a Julio, take in a Julio video today when he got wrung up by Brian O'Keefe and he tried to channel his inner April Umpire and Julio walked out of there all pissed off and he throws his hand in the air. 00:05:30 Speaker 1: Oh, that one got me. He learned really well from each Tro. You remember when e Tiro did that. That was the only time he's ever been ejected in his career. 00:05:40 Speaker 2: I don't even ever remember Eachro being ejected. 00:05:43 Speaker 1: There is it's flown around Twitter. I believe he was up in Toronto and each Tro, like it's called on the ball inside, without saying a word to the umpire, looks down and draws a line in the dirt where he thought the pitch was. That is obviously an instant ejection. If you show up an umpire like that. Again, like I think, like maybe like grow some thicker skin, but regardless, like that is a that's an instant injection. And Julio did it, and exactly what I chuckled about because there's some video. There was a couple of photos of of Julio and Ichiro sitting next to each other stretching the other day, and I think, you know, each Ro's like, hey, man, if you ever get wrung up on something bad, just draw line in the dirts. 00:06:23 Speaker 4: Draw line. 00:06:24 Speaker 1: And there's no umpires, so they can't they can't. They can't worry about it. Speaking of umpires up. Pay attention to our Speak your Mind. I think we have a really good one for you to uh for this episode. Without any further ado, Ryan Divish was He's fantastic. It was great getting him on the podcast. I've gotten an interview him before on our radio show here here in the State of Oregon, but that's obviously in a much shorter condensed window. It was nice to get Ryan on here and really get to flesh out some thoughts with him and talk about a whole number of things. You'll hear that. Let's get to our interview with Ryan Devish. We welcome Ryan Divish onto the Marine Layer podcast. Ryan is his staff writer for the Seattle Times covering the Mariners, and he also is the host of the Extra Innings podcast, his own version of a Mariner's podcast. We appreciate Ryan joining the Marine Layer Podcast today. Ryan, thanks so much for coming on. 00:07:20 Speaker 5: Thanks for having me. 00:07:21 Speaker 4: I don't know if it's necessarily a podcast, and I only record it once about two months anymore. 00:07:27 Speaker 5: Been kind of lazy about it. Trying to navigate. 00:07:30 Speaker 4: Some of the the technical issues with Larry Stone is always a bit of a adventure, and so I'm about have to try this software looks a lot better than what we use. 00:07:44 Speaker 1: He sounds like he always sounds like he's somewhere far away from any wireless signal. 00:07:50 Speaker 5: Yeah, like in a cave in Afghanistan. 00:07:52 Speaker 4: Almost. 00:07:54 Speaker 1: Yeah, Yeah, that's what That's what it sounds like. It Sometimes it's a little tricky to hear him skill and along, but we we really, me and Lyle both listen to it quite often. So it is good stuff. We appreciate the content you're able to put out. I'm curious for you for how many springs you've been able to go down there, the difference in climate, for how you usually spend your off seasons up in have Her, Montana and then transitioning down to arguably the warmest place in the United States. I don't know if you could pick two polar opposites for the span of two weeks. 00:08:26 Speaker 4: No, you are, you are very correct, Yeah, I haven't. 00:08:30 Speaker 5: I mean I really started spending most of my off season. 00:08:33 Speaker 6: And have her. 00:08:34 Speaker 4: The last couple of years, I started dating a girl from my hometown, of all things, and so you know, I go back home because I'm gone most of the time, and she lives there and she works there, so I go back, and yeah, there were times this year where it was forty five below and that's pre wind chill, and then the windshill bump out up to fifty or sixty. You know, I grew up in that town, and I lived in Dickinson, North Dakota, and you know, I thought I could handle it. I can't anymore. It's miserable, like you just don't want to leave the house. You do, but it's just it's hard to describe it, like the snot in your nose freezes. You just don't want to do much of anything. So, yeah, there was one year my dad came down to visit me down here, and he left have Hern it was minus twenty seven and he got here and it was eighty seven. So you're talking one hundred degrees difference, and it's just, you know, it's it's pretty crazy how how much you look forward to this. 00:09:33 Speaker 5: It's not real warm here today. Last night it hailed and rained and it was like biblical rain like we get in the Pacific Northwest, you know, where it's kind of a mist. 00:09:42 Speaker 4: This was big rain drops and it had lightning and thunder above it, and then it was hailing, and I might you know, I got here and I was at the Costco park. I guess this would have been Tuesday night. They all run together. But anyways, I was in the Costco parking lot. I'd gotten some stuff for the apartment. I stay in here and I'm walking out in that car. I'm pushing the cart and it's just lightning and hail, and I'm thinking of myself. I'm pushing a big metal cart across the parking lot and there's lightning above me and it was hitting ground all over. I'm like, I ran really fast, try and get that stuff in. It was enough. I think they were saying today that the Mariners, one of the Mariners fields got hit by lightning and messed up the track man. So that's one of the reasons why they didn't have TrackMan added day on Bryce Miller's bullpenos because they think that they got. 00:10:26 Speaker 1: Hit by light That's actually a really funny story. I can't but it was really funny. When we went down to school for the first time, I think it was our so we both went to ASU and the I can remember seeing one of those first thunderstorms, and as you know, in the Pacific Northwest, the thunderstorms are really few and far between, and there's not too much lightning, so it's it's it's a bit of a wake up call. Another question I have about you arriving down in Arizona in terms of, you know what your first food choice is. I know you love that Hawaiian barbecue place you posted it with Jordan today, which I need to try that spot whenever I get down to Arizona. But it's like that in in and Out. I don't know which one. I don't know how you choose which one you go to first. 00:11:07 Speaker 4: Yeah, you know, it's funny like I post that in and Out, and I usually preface a bit saying I don't care if you like this burger or not. You know, it's not necessarily my favorite burger. But when I did the Spring trading for the first time in two thousand and eight, it was right here. 00:11:21 Speaker 5: It's right there on the corner of eighty third and Bell, you know Bell rolled the seventh Circle of Hell. But yeah, I was there, you know. So I went there my first year and I had it. 00:11:31 Speaker 4: I liked it. I'd never had it before. That was a pretty good burger, you know. I didn't think it was like life changing. I thought it was better than dickx Burger's in Seattle, and so I had it and it was just so. The next year I came back, I had it again, and it's just always been kind of my tradition. That's my first meal every year. Leo's Island Barbecue, which is right down the road from the complex is probably my second meal. 00:11:54 Speaker 5: But yeah, that's I always just have it. You know, it's varied. 00:11:57 Speaker 4: So that first year when I came down here in two thousand, I've never done spring training before. I didn't really have a lot of help or guidance, and so that year I think I gained I think it. 00:12:08 Speaker 5: Was fourteen pounds in two months. 00:12:11 Speaker 4: By because I would go they had a bar called the Salty Seniorita, which is right by the Padres complex. I'd go there and I'd have buckets of beers with some buddies and the other riders, and then I go straight to In and Out and get two double doubles and some fries and then go home. And I do that like every other day, and I'm pretty sin. I was like, holy covin, am I closer fitting anymore? I feel terrible. I mean, I enjoyed the hell out of it, don't get me wrong, But like you know, there wasn't a whole lot open at one in the morning, so I'd always go to In and Out and get a couple of double doubles before bad and I've I've had to change that as I've gotten older, but that's always my first meal. Every time I've come to spring training, I always go to In and Out for my first meal. I don't eat it all the time, not like in the past. I might have it maybe two or three times when I'm down here, but I don't eat it. That's always just my first one. 00:12:58 Speaker 1: That is some peak Arizona behavior. 00:13:00 Speaker 5: Go ahead, yeah, I mean, like I mean when we went you guys, are you guys? 00:13:04 Speaker 4: I would always go, like you know, we'd always hit up Mill and you know, we'd go to the Mellow Mushroom or I hit up you know there's a place off. Yeah, I mean we went. 00:13:15 Speaker 1: We were just at Mellow Mushroom like five days ago. 00:13:19 Speaker 4: So the the year I was a few years ago when Montana beat University of Washington and football, you know, I was here covering games in at Chase Field and I was basically watching the Gris game. I didn't even watch the game I was covering, and that was when the Mariners it was two thousand and twenty one where they had that medical run late. And so anyways, we got down and we went to after the game. My girlfriend was here. 00:13:51 Speaker 5: She came met me after. 00:13:53 Speaker 4: The game and we went because it was a day game. We went to Barrio Queen and got margaritas and celebrated the win. 00:13:58 Speaker 5: And then I took her. 00:13:59 Speaker 4: It was Saturday night and it was early, you know, Saturday night. I think it's September. I said, you've got to see Mill Avenue on a Saturday night. You just will not believe what Mill Avenue is like. 00:14:11 Speaker 5: And so I took her down there on a Saturday night. 00:14:13 Speaker 4: After we were there, walked around mill went to Mellow Mushrooms, sat in the bar, grab some drinks, you know, and and she said to me, she says she has twins. She says, my daughter will never go to this school. Look at how they dress. And when she looks around, she goes, neither will my son. My son will not go here either. So I don't know how you guys survived Tempe. But it's I don't know, it's uh, he shouldn't lose many recruiting trips if you come here. 00:14:43 Speaker 3: Yeah, I'd be lying if I said we didn't mosey our way out to Mill Avenue once or twice in our time at school. 00:14:49 Speaker 2: To put it lightly, Going on, going. 00:14:53 Speaker 3: Onto your kind of career as a writer, How did you end up in Seattle? Because I know you've made a bunch of different stops throughout your journey. What eventually led you to the Mariners? 00:15:04 Speaker 5: Yeah, I don't Well, I got growing up, I knew I. 00:15:08 Speaker 4: Wanted to be in journalism, but I didn't you know, I also thought I wanted to play college baseball and did kind of some meandering stuff with that, and so I ended up at the school in North Dakota, and they didn't have journalism, and so they only had like teaching and nursing business and truck driving. 00:15:26 Speaker 5: It's quite in AI school I was playing, So. 00:15:30 Speaker 4: I just I got a teaching degree there because I wanted to play my four years, my sister was going to My sister was on scholarship for volleyball and fast pitch. I was in scholarship for baseball, so like it was helping my parents out. We shared an apartment, you know, so I got my teaching degree, and I think my parents thought that I was just going to be a teacher and a coach, and I did my student teaching. I think I was two days into my student teaching I realized I hated kids. I hated them so much, and so I convinced my parents to let me go back to University of mo Ontown to get my journalism degree. And in the process of doing that, I did an internship in Tacoma at the newstributing back when the News Beute was really big, you know, when they'd have one hundred and fifty thousand circulation and John Clayton was working there and some of those guys, and. 00:16:12 Speaker 5: So for whatever reason, I must have did a good job there. 00:16:18 Speaker 4: And so I think it was about three or four years later, after I'd worked in my hometown paper, the Have Your Daily News, and then nine long months in Pocatela, Idaho, the News Tribute called me and asked me if I wanted to come back, and. 00:16:29 Speaker 5: It was as a general assignment sports reporter, so I did. 00:16:33 Speaker 4: It was mostly like thirty percent high school and then like the rest I was backing up, like I'd help with Seahawks coverage or I'd do Mariners. I'd help with the Mayors as a Marinors backup guy, and we covered the Tacoma Rainiers at the time because they were really staff. They covered in like a real team. 00:16:49 Speaker 5: So I did all that. 00:16:51 Speaker 4: You know, they moved me to the Mariners full time I think in eight and then we kind of split it for a while, and I mean there was the one. 00:16:59 Speaker 5: Year where I had to cover Steve Starkesian and he really hated. 00:17:03 Speaker 4: Me, and I really hated him. But yeah, and then at times when Jeff Baker left to be fourteen they call it the Times called But yeah, I didn't know really that I wanted to do. I didn't know that I want to be in Seattle. 00:17:16 Speaker 5: I mean it was close, but it was just where the opportunity came. 00:17:19 Speaker 4: And then I thought I was going to be a college basketball and college football writer. But like my baseball background and just kind of the daily rhythm of it was really good for me. Like I need to have structure. I have really bad add and so like I need to have structure, and like the baseball season because it has games. Because of that, it really helps me a lot. So yeah, it's pretty crazy and it's like I was talking to somebody the other day, I can't, you know, I can't really think of a job that I would go to now. I applied for a job at the Washington Post a while back, and it was actually the year that they wanted going into the where they want it. And then I've looked at Minnesota a couple of times because my family there, and my sister lives in Denver, so I've looked at those places. But I, you know, anymore, like this will be my last job, like my last job in journalism, our last beat range job, Like I won't you know, after I decided to be done with this sooner or rather than later or whatever, I won't go anywhere else. I'll just move back to Montana and work in a bar or something. I don't you know. When I'm done doing this, there's like no other aspirations. I don't want to be on TV or anything like that. 00:18:30 Speaker 1: You've really gotten to cover some characters. I mean, you said, Sark we were thinking when we were brainstorming. I mean, Eric Badard was a big one too, among other ones. I remember, I remember, I've heard you talk about your first year on the Beat a bunch and I really couldn't think of a better group to really get thrown into the fire to sort of learn the ropes. 00:18:50 Speaker 4: Yeah, that was like a collection of malcontents and jerks, and just like I thought, I didn't know if I was going to make it through the season, Like I was so excited. And then I got around those and I hated every one of them, like Section and Jeremy Reid and the Dart, And I hate the Dart as much as some of the other guys. I kind of understood him a little bit. He was just like a simple small town dude from Canada, like to drink beer. I don't even know if he really liked baseball. He was just so good at it. But yeah, that was a rough year because they were terrible and then they was like the manager hated me and I didn't, And to be honest, I was. I was told zoo, I didn't know what I was doing. I screwed up all the time. But about I was telling somebody I was watching the Super Bowl and the last time the Super Bowl was here before I was the Seahawks Patriots, And that year I came to the Sea. When I came down here and helped cover Super Bowl that year, I think we sent. 00:19:45 Speaker 5: Twenty people between editors, photographers, and writers. 00:19:48 Speaker 4: My one job during the week was to cover Marshan Lynch not talking to the media. That's what I wrote about. I went wherever Marshawn went and wrote about whether he talked to the media or not, what he said or anything like that. On the media day, I had the picture of it, and it's just like I get a bad plasspects. 00:20:05 Speaker 5: I found out where he was going to be and I. 00:20:07 Speaker 4: Position myself there from the very beginning. I didn't do anything else, just stood there and waited, and the crush and onslaught him saying I'm just here. Someone get fined. It was like wow. But that was my one job for an entire week, was covering with Marshall and Lynch. So yeah, there's been some interesting dudes along the way. I can't say it's been dull, that's for certain. 00:20:32 Speaker 3: Well, if we transfer a little bit over to some mariners talking and this has all been great for the record. We really appreciate the way you do your reporting because I think it adds some humor. But at the same time, I think you're really good at your job and you ask the right questions and it turns into really good content. I learn a lot just kind of listening to you and reading your articles. So I've always appreciated all your work or whatever that's worth. 00:20:55 Speaker 6: I appreciate it too. 00:20:56 Speaker 3: Just kind of transferring over to some Mariners stuff. Now, let's just get right into it. I know you've probably been asked about it a million times this offseason. You probably have to talk about it a million times this offseason. But the Mariners, we'll. 00:21:09 Speaker 2: Call it lack of spending. 00:21:11 Speaker 3: Was there ever a point in this offseason where it was a realistic expectation that they could really land one of those four short stops, because that's so much of the outcry among fans this winner. 00:21:26 Speaker 4: No, I didn't think so. I didn't. I didn't think that they were that interested in committing more than seven or eight years. 00:21:35 Speaker 5: And I didn't think that was going to get any of them, other than. 00:21:37 Speaker 4: Maybe Danzy Swanson. I just didn't think he wanted it to come out to Seattle. You know, I'd heard about his fiance or his girlfriend that played for the team in Chicago. 00:21:47 Speaker 5: You know that he preferred to stay East Coast. 00:21:49 Speaker 6: We knew all. 00:21:50 Speaker 4: Along that Trey Turner didn't want to come west unless he wasn't going to stay on the West coast unless it was the Dodgers. 00:21:56 Speaker 5: So then that leaves you with Bogarts and. 00:22:00 Speaker 4: In Korea, and I thought Bogarts the Red Sox might just bring him back. You know, I was stunned by what San Diego offered. I think everybody in baseball was done. What san Diego did you know? 00:22:12 Speaker 6: And then the. 00:22:13 Speaker 4: Correa deal was I don't know that the Marius had any working knowledge of his injury. I just didn't think he was very interested in I mean, the Seattle you know they would have, you know, honestly, Like once it got down to six years, after all the injuries stuff, I was like, damn, they should be in on it now, like get in on it now when it's at six years. But they just I don't believe that. Like, and it isn't just John Stanton, although he green lights everything. I just don't think Jerry Depoto is comfortable giving a twenty eight year old. 00:22:42 Speaker 5: A ten year contract. You know, it's one thing to give a twenty one year old. 00:22:46 Speaker 4: A ten year contract because you know then he'll be thirty one when it's done, or fifteen year whatever who he was going to be, and that was a different kind of set of circumstances because he was yours to begin with. But yeah, I didn't think that. I didn't know that there was that much interest from the shortstop. So they can kind of come out and say, well, yeah, you know, we really would prefer to keep JP. They tried it last year with Trevor's story, offered essentially the same contract to him, and he chose the Red Sox. I do think there's still a stigma about playing in Seattle, you know, whether it's the winning, the weather, the travel to Poto and service, it all adds up because you hear all this stuff, Oh yeah, my guy's not going to go there. You know, look at how Jerry did it. Did this guy? You know? Or you hear from players like, oh I heard from so and so. That's not a great place, and you know, and I mean, at the end of the day, it still comes down to money and fit. But I just didn't think, like when I saw what their needs were, I didn't think they were going to go crazy because like they needed an outfield bad. Even if they would, you know, regardless of you know, Hanneger or whatever, I thought they needed another bat and they didn't. They there just wasn't that one out there, I mean beyond there. And Judge I wasn't like a huge Brandon Nemo guy. I mean like a Nintendee's fine. I don't know that he call him an a lead player to sign, but and I think they just felt like because they didn't have they weren't drawing strong interest and they felt like the market was inflated early that they were just going to go to the trade route and they prefer that. And I, you know, so I wasn't surprised. I think sometimes like Jerry is silver boast and he's great for us, but like like people, he's. 00:24:25 Speaker 5: Got to remember. People remember everything. 00:24:27 Speaker 4: It's out there, it's recorded, you know, you say something like that, then it's going to be But like again, like what he defines is supplementing or supplementing this team or going out and getting an impact player. His definition of impact is probably vastly different than Mabel and Yakima or just a casual fan. He sees the big names, he says, well, he's an all star, let's go get him. You know, I don't give a damn about the money. 00:24:52 Speaker 5: It's an interesting thing. 00:24:53 Speaker 4: I mean, like I I could see the sides of like, it's not your money, and the maners make a lot of money, go get one of those guys. But I've always thought that they've had to pay twenty percent over market value to give a hitter to come here. And if the market value is three hundred and twenty million at ten years, than the twenty percent that you're going to have to tack onto that just doesn't seem very realistic for me. 00:25:15 Speaker 1: Was there a guy they actually wanted though, like actually circled and said, yeah, like we would really prefer this. 00:25:22 Speaker 5: I don't think so. 00:25:23 Speaker 4: I mean, they loved Turner, they loved trade Turner a lot, but I think everybody did. 00:25:28 Speaker 1: Yeah. 00:25:29 Speaker 5: Yeah, I think they just felt like he early. 00:25:31 Speaker 4: On that they knew he wasn't going to be a part of it, so they loved him probably the most. 00:25:38 Speaker 1: So at this point. Then in terms of acquisitions, it'll be future acquisitions. Eventually the trade market for Brian Reynolds is going to probably wilt down a little bit. He went on video I think a couple of days ago and said nothing has changed in that part. Being one of the few baseball players to actually go out publicly and demand a trade. Well, how low would it have to get for for Jerry to actually be interested in terms of in terms of package they're actually willing to give up as far as you know, I mean. 00:26:10 Speaker 4: I don't know, like that the package was too high. I don't think that the package was really like Pittsburgh just didn't really entertain any I mean, they were entertaining offers, but like it was just or unreasonable, like they were trying to get a one SODO package for this guy. They're not going to get that. It's just really not going to have them. 00:26:29 Speaker 5: So that's kind of what they wanted, and they were. 00:26:32 Speaker 4: Going to get that. I don't I don't know what it would take to get him. 00:26:37 Speaker 5: But you know, the longer the plays, like some people say. 00:26:40 Speaker 4: Well, the value will go up because it's it's trade deadline or whatever, and people get desperate. Perhaps, but you run the risk of him getting hurt. You have to run the risk of him underperforming. And like the Mariners want the games, they want the volume. You know, they're willing to give up the prospects if they get the volume of games to off set it to help them win. And so yeah, I don't I don't think that they have a problem. I mean, whether it costs Matt Brash or Jack Kilnick or whatever, but I think they're willing to do it within reason. They don't necessarily have all the pieces that maybe they had to make an offer before. But they're not going to just sit there and give up five players because that's what it takes. They'll give up a certain amount of players they have, and they have a prospect idea of what they're willing to give up. They have a value system that they use, like that their analysts came up with, and that's what they'll do. Like if it's not at that, if it's not at the level they want, you know, the prospect thing that you know, if it's too much in terms of inherent value it's kind of like the Fangraft scale how they rate them, then they'll just say, okay, we'll move on, because they have a value of what Brian Reynolds would be to them over how many years and how many games you have them versus what the prospect value of those players and what they could potentially be. And if it doesn't mesh up to what they think is right, and they'll just say okay, Nope, we're good. You know, this is what we're willing to give. Come back if you're you know, because they're not. They don't believe in the sweeteners. Like you know, some people always like at the very end, want to add a piece. Jacks was always hearing I need a little bit more because he's trying to win the trade. When the when the social media thing on. 00:28:12 Speaker 5: The trade where Dapota looks at just like we need this, we need a piece. 00:28:15 Speaker 4: We have this value point. This is what we're willing to give up. But we're not going to ask for any more. But you know, we're not going to give up any more. But we won't you know, try and ask for more from you either. 00:28:29 Speaker 3: So if you jump ahead to next year's free agent Mark Depoto has always been big on draft trade develop feels like they go after the Braves model a lot of the time with trying to keep a lot of their own guys. Well, they just trade for Taoscar Hernandez this offseason. And when you look at next year's free agent class among the position players, I mean, outside of the two White Whales and Otania Machado, it's not the strongest class for position players. So if Hernandez goes out there and has a big year this year, he could be the third best bat on the market next winner. 00:28:59 Speaker 2: That being said, do you feel. 00:29:01 Speaker 3: Like there's any shot that he would he would sign an extension in Seattle this year? 00:29:07 Speaker 4: If his agent is any good, he'll tell him not to sign an extension and bet on himself. 00:29:12 Speaker 5: And say, hey, look, this is a bad class. 00:29:15 Speaker 4: If you're the third best bat in this class, you can make a lot of money on the market. Because I don't know that the Mariners would give him the perceived market value of what the third best bat would be next year. So yeah, if his agent is more you say, they don't wait it out. We're gonna have a bounce back here. And even if you have a down year, you're going to get still a pretty good offer. And you can do a one year offer to try like a pillow countrack and try and build it up. 00:29:39 Speaker 3: Now. 00:29:40 Speaker 4: I don't see it happening, but you know, stranger things I didn't necessarily see. Louise can't steel sign an extension either, but yeah, I don't see it, you know, and the Mariners are going to try and reel in one of those white whales. I don't know that they have the wherewithal the it Showtani, but they'll make an effort. I mean, it's something that they're already planning on. You know. They they went after him hard the last time, and basically we're running up, so I know they're going to try again. 00:30:14 Speaker 3: That actually transitions really well to the next question I had is do you I'm not saying this is the right model to go after I'm not saying it's right or wrong, but do you feel like part of the reason they have not spent big the last two off seasons is because they are trying to gear up for a run at Otani. 00:30:30 Speaker 4: I mean maybe, but like you know, I think there's a lot of things. You know, last year, last year was a little bit more different. You know, Kevin Mather had a lot of say in last year's budget leading up into this season. I think it was last year the year before, I don't know, yeah, it was last year, yeah, and so that was different. And then just this year, I don't think it was so much about Otaii, But like you know, they gave a lot of money to. 00:30:58 Speaker 5: Julio, or commit a lot of money to Julio and Castillo and. 00:31:02 Speaker 4: Robbie Ray and you know, and they got felt like I think they felt like they. 00:31:05 Speaker 5: Got burned a little bit by Shrevor's story. 00:31:07 Speaker 4: So then, you know, I don't necessarily think they're saving up because really, like you you look at, Otani is an investment that he's the one player that more than any other player in baseball, that that brings you a return on your investment, not just in terms of production in a game, but in terms of value fan value, ticket value, Like people come to see him because he's a phenomenon, like, you know, not very like we always joke that, you know, a free agent signing doesn't necessarily guarantee increased attendance, but Otani is a different It's different. It's just different because Japanese people will come to see him, and you go to games and like you know, like if it's a if it's a bad series or whatever, like it's Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday series against the A's, if Otani is pitching. 00:31:57 Speaker 5: In one of them, I mean, yeah, I'm go watch him. 00:32:00 Speaker 4: Play, you know, watch him hit and pitch. You know, it's a walk up value type of deal. 00:32:05 Speaker 5: So they have the money, they have, they had the money to do both. 00:32:10 Speaker 4: I just don't think that they felt like they had a fit, and I think they're also aware that. You know, at this point, George Kirby is trending towards going to towards like Walker Bueler level money and arbitration, and Logan Gilbert won't be far behind. And if cal Rawley hits the way he hits this year, you know he's going to make a sizable amount. They're going to be spending a lot of money in arbitration in the next few years too. I think they're aware of that. Like I said, I just don't know that they found a fit that they were willing to commit that type of money too. 00:32:38 Speaker 5: I don't know that they're in gun shy. 00:32:40 Speaker 4: Because of Cano or anything like that, but like they just didn't see a guy that they really felt like they could offer. You know, like, if you're going to give three hundred million to somebody, you damn well better be sure he's a guy you want. You can't be Luke warn them on that. 00:32:56 Speaker 1: With the Mariners match, like the sixteen year offer, the ag prober is going to throw at him. 00:33:02 Speaker 4: No, I don't think so. I don't know that Otani wants to commit that long to something like that. I think the Mariners might, you know, might go heavy like eight years but heavier dollars av and just say, hey. 00:33:15 Speaker 5: Look, you know you have freedom. 00:33:18 Speaker 4: We're gonna give you freedom. I'm going to lock you up to one thing, because like what Otani's found is like, oh yeah, I committed to the Angels and then they stink and they don't know how to build a team around him, and then here he is. 00:33:29 Speaker 5: Whereas like the Mariners offer him, you know, four years to say. 00:33:32 Speaker 4: Look, look, or we'll give you an opt out after three or four years. You can leave if we're not good. If you want to stay, great, you know, but we want you this much and we'll pay you more to keep you around. Because I think ultimately sometimes those guys like to have some freedom. 00:33:46 Speaker 5: You know. And it's weird about the thinking. 00:33:47 Speaker 4: My mom is Japanese. She wasn't born there or anything like that, but she's pulled Japanese and Japanese culture is a little different, you know in Japan. 00:33:56 Speaker 5: Do I talk with some guys, like the. 00:33:58 Speaker 4: Idea of like going super team like Lebraun or signing with like the best team or for the most money, isn't necessarily as honorable in that culture in terms of, like, you know, signing and trying to win on your own or helping be a part of the team instead of joining like an All Star team. 00:34:13 Speaker 5: So I don't know how much. 00:34:15 Speaker 4: That factors into it either. I mean, like what, Tohani's been here a lot, so maybe he's been Americanized in that way. But a Maritis will make a run. And I guess for me if I'm Otani, like, yeah, you want to win, but you want to be in a spot where you feel comfortable that you know you're going to be able to do what you want in terms of hitting and pitching, and you know the organization is going to continue to build and put together a team around you so that you know, you know, like it was the last couple of years for him, when Trout's out, it's just basically him and a bunch of dudes from Triple A Salt Lake. 00:34:49 Speaker 1: Regardless of where Otani lands next off season, I really think it's going to be one of the more entertaining off seasons we've ever seen in baseball in terms of how that free agency is going to roll out. Excited to see it, Let's shift gears I'm itching to learn a little bit of what you've seen at spring training so far. I mean, you're standing up there next to the fence watching Bryce Miller. Yes, yes, today, and Lyle and I are like extremely excited to watch Bryce Miller pitch in person wherever he can, whenever I can get out of Oregon and go watch a game this upcoming spring. But you're standing there watching Bryce Miller. I mean, is you know that fastball and that breaking ball that it looks like it's living up to the hype. 00:35:29 Speaker 4: Yeah, it's it's you know, it's really kind of odd because he's so little. He's not a very big dude. You know, I don't think he weighs one hundred and seventy five pounds, maybe five to eleven. But it comes out hot. You know, we didn't have the gun ratings on it today, but I'm sure it was like ninety eight ninety nine pretty easily. The slider is interesting because he has two. He has two sliders. He throws one, you know, it's a gyro style but he kind of turns it one way and it's more of like a cut slider, and then he has one that he tries to sweep with to get the swing and misses. But he's got a little change up that he threw a few times today and it's it's serviceable. That's why you know they can keep him as a starter because he's got you know, technically four pitches. But yeah, I mean I I think at some point we'll see him in a relief role this year. 00:36:17 Speaker 5: You know, they'll keep him stretched out. 00:36:19 Speaker 4: But like you know, the durability factors and all that, it's just it's just as electric as a map brash and stuff is you know, and just because it's just you don't expect it. It's a little guy out there and then just comes out smoking. Like you know, so the comments you hear the comments from guys today when they hit them live, Wow, good pitch. You know he got me, you know, stuff like that. You see some funky swings and stuff they look back at the catcher and stuff like that. It's it's pretty interesting he's got I would say, like right now, he's probably the first picture of that kind of prospect group that will debut. He'll be ahead of Hancock or Brian U or some of those guys. I think he'll be the first guy. 00:37:02 Speaker 1: So what else are you looking for this spring, if you're gonna if you're gonna focus on some storylines, what are you looking at? 00:37:08 Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean, like, I'm curious to see how Julio handles year two of you know, going from prospect to stuper superstardom and all the attention that comes with it. You know, how does he handle that? You know, sometimes they have to learn to say no to requests. Of course I hope they're not say no to my request. But you know how Kirby and Gilbert hold up. I think they're pretty strong kids, and I don't you know, but when George has had shoulder issues in the past, it's just fatigued type of thing. 00:37:40 Speaker 5: So how do they monitor that? 00:37:41 Speaker 4: You know, they were pretty lucky and that they didn't have injuries last year. 00:37:44 Speaker 5: How Brash is as a reliever? 00:37:47 Speaker 4: You know, early on you're very curious to see, like who comes out of the WBC healthy and playing well, because that can be a little bit of an issue. Those are the main ones, you know, Like well, obviously, like all eyes will be on Jerry Kelnrick because this with Taylor Tremolby, that's his spot. Now he'll be the left handed hitter in the platoon. I know that had some guy emailed me that kid Marlow will beat him out. It doesn't matter. You know, the Mariners wanting Jary good. They want Jerry Kellnick to be good. And all he has to do is not fall on his face. This springer get hurt and he's going to be there in the open day because he has all the potential. So seeing how he handles that the pressure that comes to that. Has he changed a little bit in his approach? You know? Is he able to control his emotions all those kinds of things. That's definitely something we're gonna watch. You don't be watching how the shift affects guys. 00:38:39 Speaker 5: Like kell Nick, cal Rawley, even JP Crawford. The lack of shifts. 00:38:43 Speaker 4: Will that help them? You know? 00:38:44 Speaker 5: They they need something more from Jp than what they got last year. 00:38:47 Speaker 4: He just you know, health wise, he's banged up, but they just need more production from the plate. He needs to be a little bit more consistent in the field. 00:38:56 Speaker 5: You know, does col will do it again? 00:38:57 Speaker 4: Like and if Cal. 00:38:59 Speaker 5: Hits twenty nine bombs again? 00:39:01 Speaker 4: Cool? 00:39:01 Speaker 5: You know how much money that guy's gonna. 00:39:03 Speaker 4: Make in the future. A catcher that hits twenty thirty bombs and commands the pitching. 00:39:07 Speaker 5: Staff the way he does. 00:39:09 Speaker 4: So like they have a really solid team, Like I think they're gonna be pretty good, but they're they're still like a bat short, and like they're not the deepest team in the world. 00:39:22 Speaker 5: I mean, like, you know, they rely on guys like Sam. 00:39:25 Speaker 4: Haggerty and Dylan Moore to play keep hearts on certain days, probably more than a lot of other teams do. And if those guys, you know, it's just like one injury can really throw you into a lurch. I mean, look at last year, Kennegar goes out, he's a key guy, and then all of a sudden we got to see Justin Winker in left field. 00:39:44 Speaker 5: Then you know he can't play, and Julio's hurt. 00:39:47 Speaker 4: Then they bring Kelnick back, like we've seen Sam Haggerty play out their life. 00:39:50 Speaker 5: Just you know that the injury factor is. 00:39:53 Speaker 4: A big problem and they have to be kind of careful of it. You know. 00:40:00 Speaker 3: I'm glad you mentioned JP Crawford because we've talked a lot about him at t J and I are kind of baseball nerds, because we were looking through his savant. 00:40:08 Speaker 2: Page the last few weeks. 00:40:10 Speaker 3: I didn't realize until recently just how much he'd struggled with fastballs in his career. Like, of course he watched the games and there's the eye test, but Savant really shows how much he's had issues with that throughout his career. I know he's been doing some work at drive line. Do you feel like maybe shortening up his swing could be more to your point of how they get more out of him this year offensively? 00:40:31 Speaker 5: Yeah, I mean it's a long swing. 00:40:33 Speaker 4: He's got long levers anyways, got long arms, and so like his swing is long. You know, the bad head pointed towards the picture and then you got to generate a lot. I just you know, and he tries to be I think with his approach he wants to be able to hit any pitch, so he doesn't want to cheat the fastball too much because he gets out in the front and wants to go a spray. But you know, as you get older, your body gets beat up, and I thought we saw that with injuries. 00:40:57 Speaker 5: You know, you had some lower back stuff everything else. 00:41:00 Speaker 4: When you have a long swing and you're not feeling great, how are you going to get around on ninety seven? You know, and it's not so much like getting hits and it's not even swings and miss like it's just not good contact. You know, it's not crisp contact, fouls off. It just has a lot of weak contact on pasketball that just can't happen, you know. 00:41:19 Speaker 5: So I think, you know, will he shorten it up? 00:41:23 Speaker 6: I haven't. 00:41:23 Speaker 4: I've seen him, I haven't watched him take VP, and you don't really know, but you know, they they that's one thing that they asked him is to clean it up and shorten up your swing, be a little bit more consistent with their back path. And you know, they feel like if he's able to do that, it'll help offset the fact that he does get dinged up playing almost every day. They're gonna try and keep him a more healthier by resting him. But you know, some of it's on JP. I mean, like, if that's not working, it's not working, You're gonna have to make an adjustment. 00:41:55 Speaker 1: The more puzzling thing with JP, though, was his defense last year. We're looking up. He was just not good at all on defense last year And I was that was Perry Hill subtweeting him today, like with that video, is it was he trying to correct, like an old highlight from from what we saw, I couldn't really tell what he was trying to get at with that regardless, Like I feel like JP should have probably just spent the off season sleeping at Perry Hill's house and working on his defense. I don't know, you know what the balance was with that. 00:42:26 Speaker 5: It's just I don't know. 00:42:27 Speaker 4: He was really dinged up last year. He had the back issues. You remember he dove head first on the ball, you know, in the first base, which they like, that's some kind got hurt too, I say, had some back issues, just can never get loose, and then finger issue and just knee issue. 00:42:43 Speaker 5: Like he was really dinged up. You know, you'd see him all iced up or trying to heat it up. 00:42:49 Speaker 4: But you know, I think too, like when you're not feeling great, you just when you aren't, you're. 00:42:56 Speaker 5: Dinged up the way he was, or you're not able to do. 00:42:58 Speaker 4: Your daily work, and I think it leaked into it, you know, I thought, you know, he wasn't. Then by the end he was fatigued a little bit too. You know, he plays like a maniac on the field, and so like, I think that just wears him down physically. So I think as you get older, you have a better understanding of it. You know, it's harder work to be healthy, and he started to understand that. I mean, like it took Kyle Seger a while to understand that, you know, he needed to drop some some pounds off his body and come in a little trimmer and do some more flexibility things to avoid the soreness and stuff that you get through the course of the season. So I think that's a big thing for JP as well. But it wasn't great defensively, and it wasn't like because I don't like measure that, you know, he looked the metrics or whatever, but he just he boxed some routine balls that he needs to make and that's possibly focused. Who knows what distracting him on the field, whether it's health or whatever, but I think that was part of it. 00:43:58 Speaker 2: I guess we're kind of just making our way around on the roster here. 00:44:01 Speaker 3: But speaking of injuries, Typhrance, do you feel like his second half of the year last year was injury related from that play in Oakland or do you feel like it was really that he got exposed Because I know he gave you that quote when you asked him about it during the year. It's like, Oh, are you asking this because I'm not playing well these days or because I suck at baseball or whatever. 00:44:20 Speaker 2: It was along the lines that. 00:44:21 Speaker 3: He said, But do you feel like it was because of that injury or was it more that pitchers just figured him out? 00:44:27 Speaker 4: Well, he had two injuries. 00:44:29 Speaker 7: He had the injury to his left arm on the ball and the catch to his elbow, and then he had a left wrist injury where he rolled over it diving for a ball, which was similar. 00:44:41 Speaker 4: To what he had in twenty twenty one program. You know. The one thing with that is, like he even said, it wasn't the he felt fine, you know, and he was. We would have seen him icing and doing stuff like you don't get to just get out of treatment when you're when you have an injury. 00:44:58 Speaker 5: They make you do that stuff. He wasn't really doing it that. It wasn't that, but he he looks he just got out. 00:45:05 Speaker 4: Of sorts with his approach in the sense that like he really likes to get out over the plate. You know, it's where he gets hit a lot of this because he kind of leans into the plate and if you watch and some the Mariner's scout Mariners admitted, and some scouts told me, is like when he was struggling there, and it may have started with the risk because you know, it was bothering him, but pictures were attacking him under his hands with fastballs and he couldn't hit it, you know, because again he's trying to get out on the outside half of the plate and cover that go that way, so then he's just not able to hit it. So what he tried to do. 00:45:39 Speaker 5: Is adjust to hit it and like hit those pitches. 00:45:44 Speaker 4: And they weren't strikes, Like why just to hitting a pits it's not really a strike very often, And he got caught up in that and he just couldn't get it back. And then once you're trying to get it back, well you've picked up these other bad habits and all that stuff. So he kind of lost his way as a hitter, you know, because that's you know, you get exposed and pictures can execute. So you know, his counter to trying to get that bastball in on his hands was to do something different with his swing. 00:46:11 Speaker 5: And his approach, when in reality, the best thing he. 00:46:14 Speaker 4: Could have done is just spit on it and not swing at it, you know, and that's I think the biggest issue, and I mean that's something that came from the mayor's internally, and then even you know, and talking with opposing scouts is like they've they found a hole where they can get him, and he's not smart enough or he's not disciplined enough or too stubborn enough right now to not swing at it, because like he'd always hit his way out of everything, and that wasn't going to be the case. 00:46:40 Speaker 5: And I think he's understood that now, such a smart ass. 00:46:43 Speaker 4: I don't know that whoever admitted to me, but. 00:46:45 Speaker 5: You know, you know, I get on really well, so it'll be interesting to see. 00:46:50 Speaker 4: I'm gonna ask him about it. But I don't know. 00:46:55 Speaker 1: What about Julio. I mean, I don't, to be honest. Well, now that I'm thinking about it, I don't remember the last time we talked about Julio on this podcast, because it seems like the most certain thing uh on the roster, which which is really funny when we're talking about a twenty two year old kid who happens to be three years younger than Lyon about to be three years younger than me as well, and and really crazy to think about and how he's gonna sort of handle a stage this year where there are legitimate expectations that he could win American League MVP this year. How how you know, has he walked into camp and really tried to to to to shut out all the noise and and and just just be him and continue to be him? 00:47:34 Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean I saw him today for the first time, just kind of gave him a little nod, you know, like we didn't talk to him. He was busy, you know, I don't. You know, He's always had a pretty good group of people around him in terms of his from his agency that helps kind of keep him grounded and understanding what he wants to do. And they're not. 00:47:53 Speaker 5: Afraid to say no to something. 00:47:55 Speaker 4: The Mariners, I mean, the Mariners have to look at themselves internally and say, how much do we want from this kid? 00:48:01 Speaker 5: You know, we don't bug him that much like the media. You know, we request them everyone something. 00:48:05 Speaker 4: Only plays well, but like we're not going to bug him all the time. You know, you don't wear the kid out. But the Mariners, I mean, like he's a marketing dream, he's a you know, commercial dream, so you know, they push on him a little bit more, and I think they need to look internally sometimes. Hey man, we're running this kid ragged here. Let's let's give him a break. But you know, it's tough when you see the smile and how he reacts and everything else and what he means that organization. I mean, you go to those games and there's more young kids than there ever has been. And I was I was in eighth grade when when Griffy was a rookie. So that makes me sound really old. You guys probably weren't even born, But like I was in eighth grade when Griffy was a rookie and I know what that was like and what it meant to kids. And we're seeing that at those games with with kids. It's just a phenomenon. And so it's hard to say, no, it's hard to not want him out there front and center all the time. But that's the biggest thing, you know, And for him on the field, it's just how do you stay on the field? You know, what did he play in one hundred and twenty five games? Is that what he played in? 00:49:09 Speaker 5: I don't remember, Like that's yeah, it was it was. 00:49:15 Speaker 4: Something. Yeah, look at it, you know, it's got to be how do you how do you stay on the field, how do you be out there for one hundred and fifty games? Obviously it's probably not going into the All Star into the home run Derby with a bad wrist and then swinging and becoming a superstar, although I'm sure he doesn't regret that. 00:49:33 Speaker 5: But like he's as good. 00:49:34 Speaker 8: As you know, he can be as good as he wants to be, as long as his body allows it, you know, and the mindset allows it. 00:49:40 Speaker 2: You know. 00:49:40 Speaker 8: I don't I don't know they'll ever be a complete like a three three hundred hitter, but I think he can be with two eighty five. I mean, was he to sixty five seventy last year? You know that's think about how bad his first month was. He has a better understanding. He's going to have to realize too. It's like they're going to attack him differently. He's not just a kid anymore. 00:50:00 Speaker 4: He's the best player on the team, and they're going to do things differently, and he might only see one or two good pitches at night. But you know, really that's the biggest thing for his success and the Mariner success is. 00:50:13 Speaker 6: If he's out there one hundred and fifty games. 00:50:15 Speaker 4: Like the counting stats, the homers, the RBIs everything like that that's gonna come just because he's that. 00:50:20 Speaker 6: Good, you know. 00:50:21 Speaker 8: But you know, look at what he could have been, like, you know, one hundred and twenty five games or whatever it was. He you know, he had twenty, he had twenty twenty. You know, he's like, he was really good. He was a game changing player. But you can't change games if you're not out there. And it's no fault of his own. 00:50:37 Speaker 4: There was some fluck stuff that happened too, you know, he gets hit by a pitch or stuff like that. 00:50:42 Speaker 8: But you know, finding ways to be out there all the time. I think that's the next step for him. 00:50:46 Speaker 6: And you know, just you know, being there night and night out. 00:50:50 Speaker 4: I I know, you don't want him to lose You don't want him to lose that kind of childish joy that he has, you know, Like I mean, like Griffy kind of lost that for a while and because of all the attention and all the pressure and everything else. 00:51:05 Speaker 8: You know, Julio is too young to lose that joy for the game. And it's such a big part of him and his energy and what he does you know, and just I think for him realizing that, you know, all the work he did to get to have the success from last year, it has to continue and probably ramp up every year you get a little bit older and the league gets a little more difficult and people know you or you know, injuries, whatever, it's going to have to continue, and it's gonna have to continue to elevate. I think he has that personality. But it'll be interesting to watch. You know, the Mariners have invested a lot of money in him. They need him to continue on this trajectory. 00:51:43 Speaker 4: And I mean, if he really wants to ultimately get paid the way he wants, he needs to do it as well. 00:51:51 Speaker 3: I know, I know you mentioned that he went into the derby hurt last year with that risk thing. But with the All Star Game in the home run derby being in Seattle this year, barring injury, there's no way he's not doing it, right. 00:52:04 Speaker 6: Oh yeah, no, I can't. 00:52:06 Speaker 8: I mean it would take I can't even imagine a circumstance other than injury. Yes, I can't even imagine a circumstance where he doesn't do it. 00:52:14 Speaker 4: I mean, like, no, this kid lives for the bright lights and the spotlight. I mean, like, can you think of anything better than that? 00:52:20 Speaker 6: You know, I mean. 00:52:22 Speaker 8: It's I mean, I just can't think of anything else. You know, why wouldn't be there? You know he's going to be. 00:52:30 Speaker 4: I mean, you gotta believe that he'll have the one of the highest fan votes too, you know. So yeah, I mean, I'm already making plans for the story I'm going to do on the preview in the All Star Game about him. 00:52:44 Speaker 6: So he better just keep playing. 00:52:49 Speaker 1: I'm curious about the pitching rotation as we sort of finish up the roster here. A lot of the talk of the off season was that fifth starter spot is someone one of Marco or Flex was gonna get traded, And it was just early quiet all off season. We didn't even hear really any sort of rumor or any any just any traction towards either of those guys getting dealt. Was that ever realistic or do they always were? Do they always want them back? 00:53:19 Speaker 4: No? 00:53:20 Speaker 6: Teams knew that the mayor has been a clear that both were available. They just didn't have a lot of return or a lot of interests that could change. 00:53:29 Speaker 8: I mean, like if you're the Yankees now suddenly Chris Flexen looks pretty good. I think the mayors were going to move them. 00:53:39 Speaker 6: I think the. 00:53:39 Speaker 4: Mayor's probably thought they needed want Flexing to move Jesse Winker, but they were able to work that on their own. 00:53:47 Speaker 6: I think they still could move them. But you know, it's good to have. 00:53:50 Speaker 4: Insurance, especially, you know, I think for a while there they weren't certain if Castillo was going to pitch in the WBC or now, So you definitely want insurance for that. But yeah, I'm surprised they're there. They might be surprised they're there too. Marco looks really good. I mean he's really trim and like looks like he's twelve years old. 00:54:11 Speaker 6: But yeah, I think I think Marco. 00:54:15 Speaker 4: Will be the fifth starter and flex will pitch out of the bullpen, just because he's better equipped to do that than Marco is. But I don't know that Chris will finish the season with the Mariners, just because there could be needs or whatever. You can address some stuff, and I don't think they're just gonna give him away. But you know, they they they have a surplus there, and you know, they have some young pitchers like we mentioned Miller and Hancock and wu and some of those guys that Taylor Dollar that can come up and start, you know, and fill fill a role that they don't necessarily need to have Flex around. So yeah, it's crazy that they I've never been in a position with since with the Poto where they've had kind of a set rotation. 00:55:00 Speaker 6: It's been a while. I guess back when they had Felix. 00:55:03 Speaker 8: Kuma, Packs, Walker, Taiwan and I can't remember the other one was those guys. You know, Packs was always banged up and Taiwan was too. So you know, this this group is definitely different in that regard. It's it's pretty solid, and you know. 00:55:18 Speaker 6: I don't. 00:55:21 Speaker 4: We were kind of debating on whether Flex would finish out spring training or if you get moved, you know, the WBC could change a lot. Guys come back from there, they don't feel great. That's when you make that move. So maybe that's when the Mariners can address something. And again I think I don't think the Mariners like we're pushing to trade him. It was like, Okay, we'll listen to offers. If it fits us, we'll do it. If it doesn't, we'll hold on to him because we might need him. 00:55:44 Speaker 1: You never know, some guys could come back with a bit of a soggy elbow. I know, I hear it nowadays. I say, I thought Marco looked really skinny. You said he looked cut I thought I saw your video. He he honestly looked a little skinny to me. And it seems good, you said, best shape. 00:56:06 Speaker 4: Yeah, I bet she's lost twenty some pounds. He's you got a little dad bod. Remember he just had a kid a little while, got a little dad bod on him, you know. 00:56:13 Speaker 8: And and so and his wife, Monica, she was a he's a personal trainer and nutrition like degree in nutrition and something else from Gonzagas. 00:56:24 Speaker 4: So maybe she put the foot down. She was a she was a trainer at Orange Theory for a while. Maybe she made him start going Orange Theory. But he looks really trim. He looks a lot more athletic, And I think for him being a little trimmer and be more athletic, you know, when you're when you're a command guy, that means your mechanics have to be pinpoint all the time, and maybe if you're carrying a little extra weight, you're not able to do that. So maybe that can help him, because I think he can still be an effective fifth starter. And what people need to know is like the Mariners aren't going to slot it out like the way they expect because they're trying to control the usage of Logan and George. George will probably be in the number five spot coming out of spring. That way they can kind of control it with the off days. It was like the Depoto was explaining it to me, But those guys could be slotted differently to the point where you know, like everybody expects it's going to. 00:57:17 Speaker 6: Be like Castillo, then Robbie, then Logan, George. You know, they could be slotted a little differently. 00:57:23 Speaker 8: They could bump Marco up early and then have it because they're trying to slot it out to the start of the season. They backdated to when they would pitch in the regular season and then work their way backwards. So you know, they're very cognizant about the usage early and the build up for the two young kids. 00:57:38 Speaker 6: So it might not. 00:57:38 Speaker 4: Necessarily be the way people expected coming out of spring, but I expect all five of those guys to be there. 00:57:48 Speaker 3: The last question I've got for you is TJ just kind of alluded to it a minute ago. But talking about the World Baseball Classic, when they announced that Luis Castillo was not going to pitch in the tournament Team Dominican Republic, was there just like the biggest sigh of relief from the Mariners front office in the thinking of we are not going to have another Drew Smiley incident all over again. 00:58:11 Speaker 4: Yeah. 00:58:11 Speaker 8: I mean, like they talked with Luis extensively about it, and I think Luis was under a ton of pressure to pitch for the dr particularly coming off of how he did in the postseason. But I don't know that like he really really wanted to do it because like he doesn't you know, in that regard, you're almost starting your workouts, your throwing program, everything two and a half weeks or two and a half three weeks earlier than you might normally. So I don't think he wanted to eat into his off season that much by having to start training that hard earlier than usual. You know, he comes in and now and he does his build up, he's been doing his normal workouts, He's on his normal schedule. 00:58:56 Speaker 6: You know, I think he preferred that more. I mean, I don't I wouldn't say that he was hoping. He was looking for an excuse not to go. 00:59:05 Speaker 8: But like in discussing it with the Mariners and everything like that, you know, if you're going to go and do this, you need to do these things to be ready to pitch at that time. And I don't know that he was willing to do it, so I think it was kind of a mutual understanding, like, hey, this probably isn't the best for me or the team right now, so let's just kind of say, you know, he's not going to do it, And if the Mariners have to look like the bad guys in. 00:59:26 Speaker 6: The situation, so be it. 00:59:29 Speaker 4: You know they don't care, because they don't after what happened with Drew Smiley, I don't think they want any other guys playing in it. 00:59:38 Speaker 1: I think that'll wrap it up for us. You can find all of Ryan's work at the Seattle Times website or if you still buy newspapers usually, Ryan, I believe you're still right on the front page every week. I know my parents still get the paper delivered, so you're always right there in the front. And you can also also find Ryan's work with the Extra Innings podcast. Ron you know when your next one's going to be out, so we could we could bump it. 01:00:02 Speaker 6: I don't know, probably next week. 01:00:03 Speaker 4: I was gonna wait a little bit so I could see a few guys and stuff like that and then talk to Larry. 01:00:09 Speaker 6: You know, I had plans to make it like better, but you guys. 01:00:12 Speaker 4: Got like the cool microphones and stuff, and I'm just not willing to invest that or my time into it. 01:00:17 Speaker 6: So you know, we'll see. 01:00:20 Speaker 3: Uh. 01:00:20 Speaker 6: I think it'll be next week. 01:00:21 Speaker 4: I wanted to watch a few days worth a day and then go from there. 01:00:28 Speaker 1: Then it will probably be out right around when this episode of the podcast drops. So if you are listening to this after obviously after it comes out, i'd go check out the Extra Innings podcast. So Ryan, thank you so much for joining. Uh stay away from Mill Avenue and Old Town if you want to. You want to have a safer, uh risk free spring. 01:00:50 Speaker 6: Yeah, I'm a. 01:00:50 Speaker 8: Little too old for those places now. I'm probably more like Desert Ridge, you know. But like you know, you being. 01:00:56 Speaker 4: Over here in the West Valley, it can get a little rough, you know. We one night, me and our columnist Matt Hawkins went out to have some beers and I think watch the UDUB hoops game or something, and I said to Matt. I said, okay, first person to find because it was as an outdoor bar, and I said, first person to find someone without exposed tattoos man or woman. The other one has to buy drinks all night. 01:01:18 Speaker 6: We couldn't find one. 01:01:19 Speaker 4: So. 01:01:23 Speaker 1: I know, like I don't know, you're pretty far away from Gilbert, but we've heard downtown Gilbert's cool too, and it might be a little bit of a bit of an older vibe too. If you want to trek all the way across the valley. 01:01:35 Speaker 6: I'll stay here. If I have to, I'll go rock out in Sun City. 01:01:38 Speaker 4: You know it's usually done by nine o'clock, so I can get up early in the morning. 01:01:44 Speaker 1: All right, sounds good, Ryan, thanks so much for joining us. 01:01:46 Speaker 6: Thanks guys anytime. 01:01:50 Speaker 1: That was a phenomenal interview with Ryan Devish. One of the favorite interviews I've done in my time in media. Getting to sit down with a Mariner's beat writer for the Seattle Time, Ryan Davish. We know he's such a great personality and he can show it a little bit more on a podcast form like this or happy to give him the platform, and it's really just get too good and just have a conversation. It was an awesome interview. I love talking to Ryan. 01:02:14 Speaker 2: He's great, He's phenomenal. 01:02:16 Speaker 3: And I've got to say, did you hear him At the start of the interview he gave us credit for going to Arizona State. You see all these people in the world, they give their kids or other people credit for going to Harvard to Stanford. Guess what at those places? You hate your life For four years all you do is schoolwork. Why not enjoy it and go to ASU? And Dvish was like, yeah, credit to you guys for making it through. And I was like, we appreciate it. 01:02:40 Speaker 1: Ryan, Yeah, we survived. We survived. But it doesn't sound like anyone in the Divish sphere will go to Arizona State. 01:02:49 Speaker 2: No, it does not. It is not. 01:02:52 Speaker 1: That's all I'll say, Hey, listen, listen. It's fun. We know that, we know that. But hey, I understand, I understand the I understand the My my daughter is never going here, I under I under I get it, I get it. That was funny. That made that cracked me up. That that really did. That was good. Uh So that's good stuff with Ryan Devish. He's again one of one of the best personalities around the Mariners and also does phenomena reporting work. 01:03:24 Speaker 3: He really does his job well because he brings some personality, like you said, but he really does good reporting. If you listen to his podcast, he'll give you some insight to things he's hearing from inside the walls, which is really cool. He gave us a little bit of that too. And we really covered everything in that interview, which was awesome. I mean we covered multiple off seasons, we covered spring training, we covered positions. It was great. I mean he gave us a ton of time, and obviously we are really appreciative, appreciative of that. Okay, TJ, let's wrap up the show. Let's speak your mind. 01:03:56 Speaker 6: Speak your mind, Spook. That would be a wise What is necessary is never unwise. 01:04:08 Speaker 3: I think I know you've got something itching on your mind this week, but I'll let you tell me and everybody what is it? 01:04:15 Speaker 1: Sure? I have two this week. First one, I'd like to shout out Will Simpson of the UDA baseball team for getting ejected for bat flipping in a game against Santa Clara. I think it was today. They were playing the finale today against Santa Clara down in California. And Will Simpson, I believe hit a game tying home run. Let me pull up the tweet. I don't have the tweet pulled up. I sent it to you, so we're gonna look at it. But I believe he hit a game tying home run against Santa Clara. He batflipped, Yeah, it was game tying home run. He bat flipped a very casual batflip, I would say, and managed to get himself ejected from the game. So I will say, with college baseball being back umpires or back baby. 01:05:05 Speaker 3: You can't have baseball without umpires taking over as the center of the show. 01:05:10 Speaker 2: You can't have it. I mean, that's why people tune in. 01:05:12 Speaker 3: People want to see ejections of the best player on the team, like Will Simpson is pretty much the best player on Washington's baseball team, and in a crucial situation, he got thrown out because, of course he did for a bat flip. 01:05:27 Speaker 1: It wasn't like an excessive batflip. It's the bat never went above his head. I think he made it about three quarters of the way down the line before he tosses bat, which is not an ejectable offense. There was no The NCAA banned dugout props. There was no dugout props up there was Yeah, I don't know. He hit a home run and he hit a bat flip and got tossed out of the game. Oh, I love it. I love it. 01:05:54 Speaker 3: We might really have to take our victory lap this year with umpires and really kind of haul out some of their bullshit all year, because if robo umps actually start in twenty twenty four, it's gonna be great for the game. And we are both pro roboump here on the podcast, but there won't be much trashing of umpire strike three calls anymore. 01:06:15 Speaker 1: That's really unfortunate. I'm gonna miss that part. I'm gonna miss it. 01:06:20 Speaker 2: Yeah, me too. 01:06:21 Speaker 3: Okay, So my Speak Your Mind this week, you kind of dipped into baseball for yours. I'm gonna cheat a little bit and dip into baseball a little bit for mine. Even though we usually stay away from the diamond on Speak your Mind, it ties in a little bit. 01:06:35 Speaker 2: So Mac McClung won won the Dunk Contest this past weekend. 01:06:38 Speaker 3: Right, this is a guy that's played two career NBA games, but he got into the Dunk Contest because it's not as star filled as it used to be. You don't get the Lebron's and the Cads and guys like that joining the Dunk Contest Nowadays. 01:06:52 Speaker 2: Mac McClung won it. He put on an absolute show. 01:06:55 Speaker 3: But there were some people talking about how oh he got in despite just playing twos. He's basically a G League player. And somebody sparked the idea on Twitter. Her name's Kelsey Henigan. I hope I got her name right. She said she's loving she loves seeing a G League guy do well on the Slam Dunk Contest, and she said it. 01:07:14 Speaker 2: Sparked an idea. 01:07:15 Speaker 3: I think it would be cool if the minor league home run leader got a spot in the home run Derby. And it just got me thinking a little bit. I'm not pro, I'm not all for it, I'm not all against it just got me thinking it could be an interesting idea if we got to see somebody, like if we're going to tie it into the Mariners Robert Perez go up against big leaguers in the home run Derby, could that be kind of a cool thing. 01:07:38 Speaker 1: That could be? Okay, I think the difference between the two leagues is Major League Baseball does not have trouble getting stars to participate in the derby. I mean, true, what would be an NBA compared what would be like this dunk contest compared to the Home Run Derby? What kind of players are we seeing participate in the home run Derby? I mean the top of your head, is that like an aj Pollock maybe no younger, younger than that Christian Pashe in the in the home run Derby? Who else anyone on off the top of your mind. 01:08:15 Speaker 2: You're talking about in comparison to Mac McClung or just. 01:08:20 Speaker 1: Like this year's dunk contest, I don't know who. I forget the four that were that participated besides Matt McClung. But you know it's all guys. You don't know that. 01:08:29 Speaker 2: Well, right, Yeah, that's true. 01:08:32 Speaker 3: I mean obviously in baseball, when you have Julio and Juan Soto and Corey Seeger and all those guys participating in the derby, you have stars in it. It was just an idea that obviously those minor league guys probably wouldn't win very often, but just as as an example of maybe how to market minor league baseball to the pros a little bit more, just because some people follow it, some people don't. But obviously, like you said, it's it's not a perfect one. For one, it just got me thinking a little bit. So I thought it presented here because I thought it was an interesting idea. 01:09:02 Speaker 1: I like the idea. Again, I just don't think Major League Baseball has a problem filling the field, so they wouldn't have to dip into the minor leagues and fill a spot with a minor leaguer. That's all I wouldn't I wouldn't be opposed to it. If some minor league at the Braake's got like forty bombs, like, okay, sure put them in. 01:09:20 Speaker 3: If if Elie de la Cruz had been in the home run Derby this past year, I mean I would have watched. 01:09:26 Speaker 1: Now, yeah, with the Reds have said yes to that, Yeah, I don't know. Probably how does that affect a prospect development? That's interesting something to think about. 01:09:33 Speaker 4: Though. 01:09:33 Speaker 1: He's got you know, he's got the power for it. You would know you saw him, you saw him play. 01:09:38 Speaker 2: Mm hmm, yeah for sure. But you're right, it's it's not a perfect comparison. Baseball does not have trouble getting stars into that contest. So maybe it won't happen, but I like the idea. 01:09:52 Speaker 1: My second thing here for speak your mind? Low? Did you realize the xfls back this weekend before Sunday? 01:10:00 Speaker 3: I did, And I watched a couple of games, and I watched that Siege game game. I watched the second half of the Sea Dragons and like pieces of the first half. 01:10:12 Speaker 1: How did a Gucci Danucci? 01:10:13 Speaker 2: Look, Oh, you didn't see what happened? 01:10:17 Speaker 1: Well, I said, throw a pick six? Oh yeah, as you can tell, I didn't watch any of the game. I didn't. 01:10:26 Speaker 3: Yeah, so you haven't seen the ending. These dudes converted multiple third and fourth downs. Josh Gordon had a couple other conversions. They got all the way down to the one yard line. They're out of timeouts. It's first and goal at the one with like thirty seconds to go, so you don't really need to spike the ball. They spike it, so then it's second in goal. Clock stopped at about twenty seven seconds. They try some option play. Ben Denucci just completely loses the ball out of his hands, like it mirrored. Jalen hurts him. The super Bowl almost lost it. DC picked it up game over. There were a yard from winning the ball game and they blew it. I couldn't believe that game ended. 01:11:09 Speaker 1: Something about Seattle teams in the one yard line. It's just haunted. 01:11:13 Speaker 4: I know. 01:11:15 Speaker 3: It made me realize, you know, in the NFL, people call players like Derek Carr and Kirk Cousins somewhere between average to slightly above average as qbs in the grand scheme of things, those guys are really, really, really good. When you're sitting and watching XFL games with Ben Denucci and asdu legend Manny Wilkins starting games, who does Manny start for Saint Louis huh man. 01:11:46 Speaker 1: Yeah, I just don't think you'll catch me like sitting on my computer and watching an XFL game. I don't think I could get myself to do it. Like the quality of football is just not good enough. I can't do again. I really, I didn't even realize the XFL was back this week until I opened my phone. It's like, Oh, I see the rock standing there in the Ragers stadium screaming to the crowd. I don't know. I like the kickoff rule, though they kept that from the the second iteration of the XFL. This is now the third iteration of the XFL. 01:12:22 Speaker 3: I didn't even realize that Old Ranger Stadium is still intact. I figured they would have taken it down by now and just turned it into a parking lot or something else. 01:12:30 Speaker 2: But it's still up still. 01:12:32 Speaker 1: It just sits there. It just sits there. I think they play high school in there. I think I don't know. 01:12:38 Speaker 3: Yeah, I wonder for how much longer, but well, for the time being, it's still there. But yeah, for me, it was just like, well, spring training games haven't started yet. Football is obviously over. I watched some college basketball, but it was on So Sea Dragons were playing. 01:12:53 Speaker 2: I was like, why not. 01:12:57 Speaker 1: Ough, Yeah, I know that's not interested, just not good enough football? 01:13:04 Speaker 3: All right, fair enough. Well, maybe you'll watch more minor league baseball than minor league football when the season comes around, being the XFL. 01:13:10 Speaker 1: But shout out MLB TV. 01:13:14 Speaker 3: Get all minor league games. It's gonna be awesome. Yeah, I can't wait for it. 01:13:17 Speaker 1: That'll be good. That'll be good. And shout out T Mobile as well. 01:13:20 Speaker 2: It's essentially absolutely no doubt. 01:13:24 Speaker 3: Well that'll just about wrap up this edition of the Marine Layer podcast. You guys know the drill. If you want to listen to the full form podcast. You can listen on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, Google, and the video version on YouTube. If you want to follow us on social media, you can do so on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube shorts at Marine Layer Pod. Subscribe to the YouTube channel, leave us a review on the podcast. Word of Mouth's great too. By the way, guys, if you're liking the podcast as much as even half as much as we're enjoying doing it, tell your friends, tell people about it. 01:13:57 Speaker 2: Because we're really enjoying it. We hope you guys are too. 01:14:00 Speaker 4: For t J. 01:14:01 Speaker 3: Matthewson, this has been Lyle Goldstein. As always, we thank you guys for tuning in. We'll talk to you next week.